Food insecurity affects people in all different walks of life. It’s always been a nationwide problem, but the pandemic shed a bright light on just how many people don’t know where their next meal is coming from.

“The pandemic exacerbated many of those statistics and those situations. It illuminated a lot of the injustice and unfairness that is part of our world,” says U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko, D-Albany.

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand recently introduced the Universal School Meals Act of 2021.

What You Need To Know

  • The USDA is currently providing free meals to students through the 2021-2022 school year due to COVID-19

  • The Universal School Meals Act of 2021 would permanently provide meals to students

  • Food insecurity has always been a nationwide problem, but the pandemic shed a bright light on just how many people don’t know where their next meal is coming from

“At the height of the pandemic, the USDA estimated that about 12 million children across the country lived in food-insecure homes.

Studies show that students who have access to free breakfast have improved attendance rates and perform better at school,” Gillibrand said. The USDA is currently providing free school meals through the 2021-2022 school year because of COVID-19, but this legislation would permanently provide these meals for all students, giving them breakfast, lunch and dinner.

“We can’t go back to a system where only some children get to eat for free, and children don’t participate in the free meal programs because they’re embarrassed about what their classmates will think,” Gillibrand said.

The program will also encourage locally sourced foods and eliminate school meal debt for families, giving them one less thing to worry about as they try and recover from the financial hardships of the pandemic.